Reviewer Rating: 4/5.0
4
Despite the festive atmosphere of Happy Days Season 2, Episode 10 is unexpectedly sober (the tone is absolutely no Actually) the ending ends up showing more about Christmas than cheer.
The episode wraps up most of the subplots introduced this season and features a steady stream of hilarious jokes as Fraser implements a holiday-themed intervention program.
Is the tragedy of the season finale more important than the party favors? Maybe. But I think it’s necessary to let go of some of the larger storylines so that these characters and the show itself can move forward in a possible third season.
I enjoyed what this episode accomplished, even if I might have wished it was a little less elegiac.
It’s great that its storyline seems convoluted, but it still retains aspects of the show (David!) that don’t work that well this season.
It’s Christmas time again
Has it only been a year since we were invited to a Christmas party hosted by Dr. Frasier Crane?
Even with the magic of streaming and selective memory, it seems like Season 2 of Family is just getting started.
For once, the obligatory info-dump-and-drinks opening scene in a Harvard bar actually makes sense. Its crowded and joyful setting supports the chaotic cast of characters and disparate motivations we see in the short time it takes.
Somehow this scene looks more “real” than many others this season in the exact same setting.
Like, the camera follows Freddy and Olivia to the bar and there’s a casual discussion between the two, which is kind of a revelation to us – I don’t think we’ve ever seen this before? — about what they bought Fraser for Christmas.
I loved their easy conversation and how comfortable they felt with each other. It makes me wish they could have become good friends, like Freddie and Eve.
It was great to see the group come together and then split into different parts and back again, just like in a real bar environment.
let’s talk about alan
We see Alan making a great impression on Scrooge at the bar, which to be honest is low-hanging fruit for him, but then we learn that his estranged daughter is in town, which may have exacerbated his cheating behavior.
The subplot of Alan and his daughter Nora was introduced earlier in the season and has appeared sporadically since.
This family situation seems to surprise everyone, including Frasier, so it’s hard to fully fit this backstory into the context of Allen we already know (and love!) as a single amateur and alcoholic.
Alan hates Christmas more than usual this year because Nora still doesn’t answer his calls and recently gave birth to his only grandchild.
I liked Allen’s character, but this alienating storyline felt a little forced for me. This was pulled out of nowhere, based on very little information, and he was seen as a repentant family man, which is a big ask.
Earlier in the season, it appeared that Nora was Ellen’s only child, exacerbating their conflict.
But in this episode, we learn that he also has at least one son, Nora, the oldest of his children and the only one who is a parent.
Alan is clearly regretful and saddened by his estrangement from Nora, but how will their reconciliation change Alan’s character going forward?
His worldview and alcoholism seemed to be based on more than just this broken relationship. When did he lose interest in his career? Why haven’t we heard about his son before? So many questions!
Let’s not forget Fraser
Frasier’s romantic shortcomings weren’t a big part of the season, but in the finale, I kept wondering how he would handle a relationship at this point in his life.
We don’t see his nearly two decades of relationship with Chicago’s Charlotte (Laura Linney), which may be the longest relationship he’s ever had. So seeing Frasier combined is new territory for us!
It also raises the question of how being in a relationship will affect his interference with others – maybe not so much if his plans for beekeeping equipment (???) for Olivia fit in.
At the very least, Fraser’s new relationship with Holly will hopefully shatter his romance with Roz. Come on, she’s moved cross-country; she can’t suddenly stop dating!
Mission Impossible: Gingerbread Village
It’s exciting to see Frazier preside over his planned map like a world-weary military leader. He totally got into his style and moved the glass like he was dealing with people.
As Allen later pointed out, Frazier meant well, but his insane behavior caused great harm. Still, I hope we get to see David fold himself into the bar cart!
Historically, it must be said that this was probably the smoothest of all Frazier’s programs.
It had few moving parts, didn’t require hunting down obscure items, and leveraged personal relationships they already had on hand.
Fraser even manages to stay on track by delegating his usual distractions to David and his pastoral gingerbread village.
It’s a throwback to those hilarious old days, when Frazier would completely sabotage a plan because he couldn’t let some minor problem lie (like this season’s Seattle episode).
But the gingerbread village remains an odd subplot that, while it delivers some laughs, exists in something of a vacuum. I expect it to have at least a nice pullback.
While Eve and Roz effectively kept their jobs, Frasier’s plan actually worked! Just didn’t get the results I wanted.
I was worried that Ellen’s anger at Frasier would cause them to avoid each other or give each other the silent treatment, so it’s nice to see them having very adult conversations where they apologize and express hurt.
Alan even took Holly to a “Frasier” party, where he showed a bit of a Scrooge streak even though he was alone. So, he has grown emotionally and is now ready—or worthy—to reconcile with Nora.
Freddy is elected MVP
Freddie is probably the most improved this season. He takes steps to cope with the grief of his best friend’s death, and seems to have truly forgiven Frasier for what happened as a child and accepted his career choice.
I always forget that he’s in a service career (because he’s always at the bar!), so maybe that’s why I was surprised when he took it upon himself to go to Nora and defend Alan.
Freddy’s conversation with Nora is a sympathetic, non-Fraser way of hearing his true thoughts about his father’s departure from Boston as a young man, reinforcing the sense of closure he found in the Seattle incident.
Perhaps that’s why Freddy is now willing to admit that he has some of his father’s less admirable traits, namely the nosy gene. Seriously, what were he and Fraser going to do with that beekeeper’s clothes?
Santa Pub Crawl Ideas
When exactly did these Santa pub crawls become popular? I know it’s been a while, but I feel like it definitely coincided with the gender reveal party.
Regardless, the episode’s drunken Santa seemed to be an attempt to add to the holiday cheer, and they also mixed up the timeline of events.
In the hotel bar and lobby, everyone kept talking about meeting at eleven o’clock, and I thought, That It sounds like it’s too late for this “surveillance-surveillance-surveillance” to continue.
But it’s actually already eleven o’clock morningwhich meant that Pub Santa, Alan and Freddie started drinking early that day. I know, I know – I’m quibbling!
Then Holly said she couldn’t make dinner because she had to work until eleven. But she told Ellen she would be off at daybreak in an hour, and… you’re right; I was overthinking it.
It was nice to see this group of guys in a hotel (really) off campus, but the real joy was seeing Alec Mapa as Thomas, the “uncool” hotel front desk manager!
ok but i have Q: Who is taking care of Nora’s children while she is in hotel lobbies and bars? Where was her husband during this whole incident?
last minute gift
The subplots involving Olivia and David are enjoyable but unnecessary in roughly equal measure, each getting their moments.
This time around, Eve and Roz get the “David” treatment, someone who could have been removed but not missed in the story.
But the MIA MVP was once again awarded to Eve’s toddler son, John!
We haven’t seen him since the gallery opened; he can now get his driver’s license.
The road ahead
Well, as industry insiders say, that’s the end of Season 2 of “Fantasy!”
It was nice to see Alice again, even if she didn’t really have much to do.
It’s a relief that Nora gives Ellen a second chance, and ties up this storyline leaving room for more interesting stories in the future (I’m sorry! I just didn’t get that from this story any feeling).
What do you think, TV Fanatics? Did Happy Days Season 2 Episode 10 feel more like a series than a season finale? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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